It is well known that electric motor installations often require that the motor shaft be electrically grounded. Such is desirable to prevent the flow of electrical current through the shaft to power transmission equipment, fans, work pieces, and the like which are attached to the motor in the event that a short circuit occurs inside the motor. Previously, it has been known to attach a ground lead to the stator laminations by means of a ground standoff or boss which is welded onto the laminations. The ground lead is in turn attached to the boss by a screw or rivet. It should be apparent that in order to ground the shaft, using this method, it is necessary to effect a connection between the stator and the shaft. This is typically accomplished by a copper strap which contacts the laminations and also contacts the sleeve bearing in which the shaft is journaled. As can be seen, such a prior art structure requires a number of parts and manufacturing steps simply to effect an adequate ground. Accordingly, the prior art techniques and structure have been both labor intensive and costly to manufacture.
There is clearly a need in the art for a ground lead for a motor shaft which is easy to connect and which can consistently provide suitable grounding without the need for numerous parts and labor intensive assembly techniques.